About the Book

For President Lyndon Johnson, 1968 was a year of calamity, including the hijacking of the USS Pueblo in international waters off North Korea. After a fierce attack by the North Korean Navy, the lightly armed spy ship was captured and its 83 crewmen taken hostage, imprisoned and tortured for nearly a year before being released. How and why did the Navy, the National Security Agency and the Johnson administration place the Pueblo in such an untenable situation? What drove Kim Il-sung, North Korea’s autocrat, to gamble on hijacking a ship belonging to the world’s most powerful nation? Drawing on extensive research, including summaries of White House meetings and conversations, the author answers these questions and reviews the events and flawed decisions that led to Pueblo’s capture.

About the Author(s)

James Duermeyer is the award-winning author of five historical novels. He is a retired U.S. Navy Commander and lives in the Fort Worth area of Texas.

Three—Reactions 50 On the Pueblo 50 Within the Military Chain of Command 59 Within the Intelligence Community 61 In South Korea 63 In the Situation Room, Washington 65 At the White House 67 Reaction of Congress 87 Reaction of the Public 90

Four—Juche—Why North Korea Seized the Pueblo 99 The Washington Viewpoint 99 The North Korean Perspective 100 Juche 103 Elements of Juche 104 The Propaganda of North Korea 106 The Effect of Juche and Kim’s Propaganda on the Treatment of the Pueblo Prisoners 109